johnston



(No Model.) I 5 Sheets-Sheet i.

E. H. JOHNSTON.

MACHINE FOR BENDING LINKS.

No. 253,390. Patented Feb..'7,1882.

(No Model.) Y 5 SheetsSheet; 2.

E. H. JOHNSTON.

MACHINE FOR BENDING LINKS. No. 253,390. Patented Feb. 7,1882.

N. PETERS. Pholwumngnpiwr. Washington, D C.

(No Model.)

5 Sheets-Sheet. 3. E H JOHNSTON MACHINE FOR BENDING LINKS.

No. 253,390. PatentedTebfi,1882;

5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

(No Model.)

B H JOHNSTON MACHINE FOR BENDING LINKS. "No. 253.390.

Patented Feb."7, 1882.

PETERS. Phdbljflwnpher, Washington. D. I;

(No HddeL.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 5. E. H. JOHNSTON.

MACHINE FOR BBNDING LINKS.

No. 253,390. v Patented Feb. 7,1882.

mumw I HQ. wxmvd am uw (5. (71%; 2 W W M/ZM/I/M/VM- I UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD-HI. JOHNSTON, on PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THEWHARTON RAILROAD SWITCH COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

MACHINE FOR BENDING LINKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 253,390, dated February'7, 1882.

Application filed August 15, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be'it known that I, EDWARD H. JOHNSTON, acitizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,have invented certain Improvements in Ghain-Link-Bending Machines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to rapidly convert a heated bar of ironinto link-blanks for chains, the said blanks being so formed by the diesand mechanism described hereinafter that each blank is in a conditionfor introduction into the welded link of a chain preparatory to thewelding of the blank itself.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 and 2, Sheet 1, are views of thelink-blank as finished by the machine; Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6, diagramsillustrating the dies and the action of the same; Fig. 7, a plan view ofthe dies; Fig. 8, end views of the two main dies; Fig. 9, an invertedplan view of one of the dies; Fig. 10, a view of the dies andscarfing-knife; Fig. 11, a view of the bar tobe converted into thelink-blank, the said bar and blank being drawn to an enlarged scale,while the remaining figures on Sheet 1 are drawn to a reduced scale;Fig. 12, Sheet 2, a plan view of the mechanism; Fig. 13, Sheet 3, asectional elevation Fig. 14, Sheet 4, a side elevation; Fig. 15, Sheet5, a transverse section on the line 1 2, Fig. 13, looking in thedirection of the arrow 1, and Fig. 16'the same section, looking in thedirection of the arrow 2, Fig. 13.

A preliminary explanation of the main feature of myinvention may be bestmade in connection with the views on Sheet 1.

Figs. 1 and 2 represent the link-blank made by the machine, this blankconsisting of a rod,

. A, bent to a shape approximating to that of the desired link, the rodbeing bent at b, and the legs a a. being bent toward each other, asshown in the plan view, Fig. 1, and one leg being bent upward and theother downward, as

shown in the edge view, Fig. 2, while the ex-' treme ends are scarfed atb b, an opening being thus left between the two legs to admit a Weldedlink, after which the blank is flattened down and the two scarfed endswelded together, so as to form a complete link. The mode of making thisblank is shown by the series of diagrams Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6, in whichB represents a fixed die, the upper portion, d, of which is of a sizeand shape corresponding with that of the interior oi the blank, Fig. 1,this portion d'terminating at a shoulder, e, which is inclined on oneside in one direction for one leg of the blank, and inclined on theopposite side in a contrary direction for the other leg of the blank.This shoulder e in fact forms the bed by which, as shown in Fig. 2, theextent of the upward bend of one leg and downward bend of the other legare determined.

D and E are two dies arranged to reciprocate in guides, the recessedportion f of the die E being made concave to correspond with the roundedend I) of the link. Upon the die E is a projection, i, having its underside, 'i, inclined to correspond with one of the inclinations of theshoulderc of the fixed die. The under side of the die in fact is made toconform with so much of the link-blank, Fig. 1, as is cross-lined, whilethe end of the die I) is recessed, so as to conform with that portion ofthe link-blank, Fig. 1, which is not cross-lined. A heated rod, .12, ofthe desired length of the link, being held in the position Fig. 3, thedie E is moved toward the fixed die B, and this forms the bend I) of thelink-blank, forces oneleg, a, of the link A, against the inclinedshoulder e on .one side ofthe fixed die B, (see Fig. 4,) the other leg,a, of the link-blank being straight, or nearly so. The partly-formedlink-blank is held by the dieE against the fixed die, Fig. 4, while thedie 1) moves toward the fixed die B, which is so formed as to bend theleg a of the link blank downward to that inclined shoulderof the fixeddie which is shown bydotted lines in Fig. 3, at the same time it formsthe bend m, Fig. l, on the said leg at. Simultaneously with thisoperation the same die D bends the end of the log a inward, and the linkis complete and confined to the fixed die by the two movable dies, asshown in Fig. 5. Immediately after reaching this position the two dies Dand E are retracted, and the link- .blank is raised from the fixed die,as shown in Fig. 6, by a device explained hereinafter.

The dies, with their recesses, are shown in Figs. 7, 8, 9, and 10, Fig.9 being an inverted plan view of the die E and the endview of the die D.Fig. 8 shows a recess, a, for forming the end of the leg a/ofthelink-blank, andarecess, p, for forming the end 111 of theleg a ofthesaid blank but the best guide for the formation of the dies will be thelink-blank, Figs. 1 and 2, as the dies must always conform with the saidblank.

It will be seen that the two legs of the linkblank are scarfed at theends, so that the scarfed portion of one leg will be brought intocontact with the scarfed end of the other leg when the two legs areflattened down and welded. This scarfing is effected by a knife, F,which is attached to the die E, as shown in Fig. 10, in theinclinedposition shownin Fig. 8. The heated rod a2, Fig. l1,is passed through asuitable opening in a fixed plate, and the end of this inclined bladesevers the baron the line g, this being the result of the first movementof the die E. The blank is thus scarfed at one end simultaneously withthe scarfingof the end of the bar for another blank. Hence each severedsection of the rod, as the latter is fed between the dies, must bescarfed at both ends before the dies convert the severed section intothe link-blank.

Having explained the character and operation of the dies, I will proceedto describe the machine of which the said dies form a part.

The bed G, and the legs H H, which support the bed, constitute the fixedframe of the machine, and to this bed is secured a plate, I, on

which are guides q, for the bar'E", to the end of which is fitted theabove-mentioned die E, and on the same plate are guides for thebar D, tothe end of which the die D is attached, the fixed die B being fitted toan opening in the same plate, as shown in Fig. 13.

A horizontal shal't, J, is adapted to suitable hearings in the frame,Figs. 1 and 3, and on this shaft is a scroll-wheel, K, for actuating thebar E, which carries the die E, the rim of the wheel passing between apin, 8, and an anti-friction roller, 8, on a pin on the under side ofthe said bar E. In like manner the rim of the scroll-cam K passesbetween a pin and anti-friction roller on the under side of the bar D,which carries the die D.

On the same horizontal shaft J is a cam, L, into the groove of whichprojects a pin on a cross-head, t, the latter carrying two guidedfingers, u M, which pass through the enlarged portion of the die B, asshown in Fig. 6. A cam, M, Fig. 16, is secured to the shaft J, the edgeof this cam bearing against the short arm of the bell-crank lever N,which is hung to the frame, and the long arm of which passes through aneye in the guided rod 1?, the cam tending to force this rod in onedirection, and a spring, 1?, to force it in the opposite direction whenreleased from the influence of the cam. The rod P carries a finger, y,the purport of which will appear hereinafter.

The heated rod :10 to be converted into links is passed through anopening in a block, w, secured to the plate I, and the proper positionof this rod is determined by a stop, t, Figs. 12 and 15. The severingand scar-fing of this rod, and the conversion of the severed portion ofthe rod into a link-blank by the combined action of the dies have beenfully explained above. Hence it will suflice to remark here that whenthe two dies D and E have been retracted the linkblank is raised by thefingers u uabove the central die, B, after which the finger 3 on the rodPstrikes the blank from the fingers u a into a chute, W.

I claim as my invention- V 1. The combination of the reciprocating diesD and E and fixed die B, all constructed to form the link-blank A,substantially in the manner described.

2. The combination of the bar E and its die E, the bar D and its die D,with the shaft J and its cam-wheels K K, substantially as specified.

3. The combination of the fixed die B, the fingers a a, and knockingofi' finger y with mechanism, substantially as described, for operatingthe said fingers.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD H. JOHNSTON.

Witnesses:

HENRY HowsoN, J r., HARRY SMITH.

